SupremeExhausted, but you can't switch off?
Shoulders up by your ears. Jaw clenched by lunchtime. You fall into bed shattered, then lie there wide awake. Stress doesn't stay in your head. It sets up home in your muscles.
Nick Monczakowski 4.9 from 74 Google reviews · 13+ years
Your body forgot how to let go.
It braces and stays braced.
Under pressure your shoulders lift, your jaw sets and your neck tightens. When the pressure never lets up, that becomes the new normal.
Tight chest, shallow breaths.
Tension in the neck and chest limits how deeply you breathe. Shallow breathing keeps your body on alert.
Wired at bedtime.
A body still braced from the day finds it hard to wind down at night. Tired but wired is the result.
Slower. On purpose.
This isn't an injury appointment. The pace and pressure are set to help your body come down a gear.
Slow, steady work
Long, sustained strokes rather than quick fixes. Your nervous system needs time to trust that it can let go.
Adjusted as you settle
Nick checks in and adapts throughout. Firm where you hold the most, gentle where you need it.
Where stress lives
Neck, shoulders, jaw, the base of the skull, the chest and often the deep hip muscles where tension sits.
The muscles that hold on.
Upper traps & scalenes
The first to brace. Releasing them softens the whole upper body and lets your breathing deepen.
Base of the skull & jaw
Where stress headaches start. Clenching all day keeps them switched on.
Pec minor & rib muscles
Tight here means shallow breathing. Easing them often changes how you breathe in the session itself.
Psoas
The deep hip muscle linking spine and legs. Many people hold a lot of tension here and feel the biggest release when it lets go.
Sound like you?
Busy professionals
Pressure at work plus long hours at a desk. Nick saw this pattern a lot treating staff at Google HQ. Massage for desk workers →
Athletes before a race
Nerves and heavy training both disturb sleep. A session in race week helps you settle. Sports performance →
Poor sleepers
Months of broken or unrefreshing sleep, with a body that never fully relaxes.
Shift workers
Odd hours and broken sleep patterns keep the body on edge.
New parents
Little sleep, lots of lifting and a body running on adrenaline.
Going through a lot
A big life change, a hard few months. Your muscles have been carrying it too.
Stress myths. Busted.
“Massage for stress is just pampering.”
Tap to flip →Relaxing muscles that have been braced for months is real physical work. Many people notice they breathe and sleep differently afterwards.
“I'll relax when things calm down.”
Tap to flip →Your muscles often stay braced long after the stressful bit passes. Sometimes they need help to let go.
“It's all in my head.”
Tap to flip →Stress is in your head and your body. Tight shoulders, a clenched jaw and shallow breathing are real and can be eased.
One hour. Room to breathe.
- 01
Talk
How you've been sleeping, what you're carrying and where you feel it most.
- 02
Settle
A slower start so your body can begin to come down a gear.
- 03
Release
Sustained work on the neck, shoulders, jaw, chest and deep hip muscles.
- 04
Wind down
Simple breathing and wind-down tips to carry the effect into the evening.
Lighter. In their words.
“As a teacher, the physical and mental demands of the job had gradually built up tension in my body over time and I hadn't fully realised how much it was affecting me until I started these sessions.”
Daniel · Teacher“I've been coming to Nick for around 10 years now and from the very first day I've found him to be extremely attentive, kind, genuine, professional and a real master of his craft.”
Jamal · Client for 10 years“He is very friendly and explains the issues, its causes and how to improve them very clearly.”
Sara · Google reviewBefore you book for stress and sleep.
Can sports massage help with stress?
It can help a lot with the physical side of stress. Slow, sustained massage helps your body move out of 'on alert' mode and lets muscles that have been braced for weeks finally relax. The upper traps, scalenes, the muscles at the base of the skull and the chest are where stress usually sits and releasing them brings both immediate and lasting relief.
Does massage help with sleep problems caused by stress?
For many people, yes. When muscle tension and a body stuck on alert are keeping you awake, massage can help you wind down. Many people say they sleep noticeably better the night after a session. For long-standing stress, regular sessions help bring that background tension down so your body can switch off at night.
How quickly will I notice the effect on sleep and tension?
Most people feel a clear drop in tension straight after the session and many sleep better the same night. The effect is strongest over the next 24 to 48 hours. After a long period of stress, regular sessions over 4 to 6 weeks give a steadily better baseline.
How often should I come for stress and sleep massage?
During a stressful period, a monthly session helps keep the baseline down. If your sleep has been badly disrupted for weeks, every 2 to 3 weeks at first works better to reset the pattern. Many people book a standing monthly session as a regular reset.
Look after your mind too
Massage helps your body switch off. It isn't a replacement for support with your mental health. Please speak to your GP if you have:
- Low mood or anxiety most days for more than two weeks
- Weeks of poor sleep that is affecting your day
- Chest pain, palpitations or breathlessness
- Stress that's affecting your work, relationships or eating
If you're struggling to cope right now, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option, or call Samaritans free on 116 123, day or night. In an emergency, call 999.
Stress shows up all over.
Let your body switch off.
- £80 first session, assessment included
- Mon–Fri 11am–7pm
- Near New Malden station · free street parking
- Personal reply from Nick, usually same day
“If you're reading this thinking: should I book? Just go ahead and do it.”